HIM
beyond hammered. He keeps burying his head in my neck and grabbing hold of me tightly as his hand travels up and down my bare back under the rips of my shirt plus grabbing handfuls of my ass every chance he can get. I yell that I need a short intermission before we play another game.Jason whines a little while pulling on my wrist but is quickly preoccupied with some chick. I step away from the table and decide to make myself a weed and lemonade this time before I head outside. Guys keep trying to stop me on my way to the door with praises on my good form, back to back wins, and of course, my skanky choice in attire tonight. I wore it on purpose because I was having a bitch fit earlier.
I open the door and am blasted with warm air. It's cooler than in the room I was just in but still warm. I walk down the stairs, past the garage over to the firepit. Not needing to warm myself but to watch the flames as I take a breather from all the chaos inside. I take a sip of my drink and sway a tad; the drinks and shots are starting to kick in now.
"Ali!"
I hear a voice calling my name from behind me as I stand alone by the fire. I turn around to see Luke standing before me. My mouth opens a tiny bit, my eyes widen, but I stand there staring at him. I drop my drink to the ground as I continue to stare. In the glow from the fire, he looks like a mess, as if he hadn't slept in days. His face is worn and shows melancholy. I want so badly to wrap my arms around him and tell him how much I've missed him, but my current drunken state restrains me from doing so.
"Where in the hell have you been?" I spit, like venom.
The anger is building inside me; I am mad at him and at myself. I’m upset that I didn’t know where he was, worrying about him for a week, and finding out he ran to another woman. I am hurt, very hurt because I like him a lot and I expected more.
“I’m sorry. I am so sorry I left, Ali. I didn’t know how to deal with what happened, and I needed some time to think. I shouldn’t have shut you out,” he replies softly. “I don’t want to talk about this here and when you are drunk.”
“I didn’t fucking ask you why. I asked where the hell have you been. Who was that woman who answered your phone?” I demand.
The dejected look on Luke’s face as my words continue to spew from my lips burns a hold in my chest. I am melting on the inside because I missed him and am happy, he’s here, safe and sound, but I am livid and hateful toward him on the outside.
“What, woman? When did someone answer my phone?” Luke asks.
“Don’t play stupid with me, Luke. I called you last night, and a woman answered your phone saying you were busy. What the fuck was that? Who is she?” I shout.
“It’s not what you think, Ali,” he says.
I cut him off before he has time to conjure up an excuse.
“It’s exactly what I fucking think,” I hiss. “You find out something horrible that happened to me, you don’t say a word, you leave. For a week, a fucking week. I don’t hear from you nor does anyone else. Despite everything that has happened between us, you dare to run to another woman.”
Luke steps toward me, reaching his hand for mine, but I move away from him.
“Don’t fucking touch me,” I growl through my teeth.
“You have no clue what I’ve been going through this past week. I’ve been a wreck over you. Why? For what? You could care less about me,” I cry.
Luke grabs me and wraps his arms around me tight. I throw little punches at his chest, demanding he set me free. He holds me closer. I stop my tantrum and bury myself into his chest as I burst into tears.
“Why did you leave me?” I shudder.
I am so drunk that part of me thinks this is all an illusion, and Luke is not holding me right now, while the other part of me wants to be wrapped in his arms forever.
“I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry. I will never do it again. Please, forgive me,” he says with sincerity in his voice.
“I love you, Ali!”
The story continues in...
HER
Please enjoy the following excerpt from HER, narrated by Luke.
Chapter One
I glance at the clock on my dash, four fifty-two. It's early. I slowly drive down one of the longest and eeriest looking roads I've ever driven down. It is quiet and derelict. Animals must be waking up, with a vast area isolated like this; I should have seen something by now, a bird, a squirrel—anything. The road is quite untraveled. Grass hugs it like a light blanket with little sign of once-tiny rocks coating its existence.
I come upon what looks like the end of an exceedingly long worn driveway to an old wooden barricade. Twenty minutes to trek down a driveway is insane. I see a small house tucked away behind some trees. I get out of my car and make my way down the gravel and grass-covered trail toward the house.
"Luke!" my sister squeals uncontrollably from her front porch.
Cringing inside at the god-awful sound, I walk farther up the trail toward her house, giving her a slight raise of my hand. Why do women make such noise when they are excited? I do not understand the point of shrieking like a dying animal. The falsetto in their pitch is remarkable at times yet annoying as hell. It's worse when there is more than one of them together. Thankfully, my mother is not here, or I would need some ear protection.
HER, available